I'm Back!!!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in AGES but I'm back!  I have had so many things going on since I last posted.  The BEST thing that has happened to me is that I am now a grandmother!  I'm not sure how I got old enough to have a grandchild but here I am and I am madly in love with her.  I have also never been more proud of my daughter!  I never had doubts about what kind of mother she would be, but seeing how fantastic she is makes me tear up constantly.  I love her so much.  I thought nothing would compare to the 1st time I held her but seeing her hold her daughter for the first time was the happiest moment in my entire life.  I remember what it was like holding her right after she was born and seeing that look of perfect peace and JOY on her face was almost too much for my heart to bear.  So many times in the last 6 months I have been so overwhelmed with love I thought my heart would actually burst.

I have new toys and new projects!  My husband got me a Mighty Fast Herbal Infuser for Christmas and I have been having a lot of fun infusing herbal oils.  No pot-sorry!  After all these years I am always afraid I won't have any new innovations, but it hasn't happened yet.  The joys of working with botanicals is that the possibilities are truly endless!

I have taken something of a step back from my store to focus more on my family through the holidays but will be busy with more experiments and stuff through the winter.  Today I am making a ton of cold creams, resting and planning out ideas for new products.

I have fallen in love with lotion bars for my hands lately but they do have drawbacks.  It takes a lot of beeswax to firm them up and that can be pretty heavy on the skin.  This has been a blessing for my hands and feet but it's a bit much elsewhere on the body.  So I am working on herbal body balms that aren't quite as firm and can be easily packaged in tins.  I made some balms today loaded with CO2's that are high in essential fatty acids to help with my splitting nails.  I am also playing around with some new carrier oils:  acai berry, chia seed and mid-chain trigycerides.  I am also working on botanical perfumes and body sprays using herbal extracts, essential oils and hydrosols that I'm really excited about.

Starting today I will be moderating all comments on my blog.  I will still be posting (and responding to) comments from people who disagree with me, I don't have a problem with that.  What I do have a problem with is a jerk company from India using my blog to promote their business.  This is NOT cool and will NOT be allowed!  You know who you are, and I have no doubt you are reading this.  If your products are so fantastic you shouldn't need to spam my blog to promote your business without my permission.  You have not once had the decency to contact me so you are blocked until Hell freezes over.